Need info on RTC x Black earred paroon

I31

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Feb 1, 2007
842
57
61
omni
Anyone know how big they get and and any personal experience keeping one?
 

thebiggerthebetter

Senior Curator
Staff member
MFK Member
Dec 31, 2009
16,283
14,494
3,910
Naples, FL, USA
I've only heard and seen RTC x paroon, at least that's what these fish were presented as. They are not a viable fish. I've never heard of RTCxBlack ear.
 

koltsixx

Global Moderator
Staff member
Global Moderator
MFK Member
Feb 13, 2007
5,316
2,125
1,678
Bronx, NYC
I posted these guys in my own thread on Tuesday and they're from Predatoryfins identified as RTC/Black ears. Whether they truly are or not I have no idea but if they're not and are just RTC/Paroon I'm fine with that. As the biggerthebetter said though they may not be viable long-term as despite RTC/Pangasius being available for a long while now I haven't seen any pics or videos of adults, I can barely find any of juveniles. Because of their very small size this is probably the cheapest a Redtail/Pangasius hybrid has been available at. Meaning it could subjectively be the best time to experiment on picking one up, then again, they may become more readily available in the future so it's really a matter if you want it now and if you're unsure they'll become more readily available later on.

My larger and more expensive RTC/Paroon passed but in my case it was I believe my error so my experience is limited. The new little guys at least currently seem to be doing well(knock on wood). Having no issue with eating anything they're offered as long as it fits in their mouths. As they've settled I've seen aggression which I'm surprised to see at such a small size. At least I believe it's aggression as they're both extremely close to the same size, I mean I can't discern a difference, but I haven't measured either, so I don't think it's predatory or cannibalism. As for size catfish hybrids if they are viable tend to at least match the size of their parental species if not larger from hybrid vigor and it's better to overestimate IMHO than under.
 

M3AN ONE

Dovii
MFK Member
Feb 29, 2012
478
251
102
Long Island
They eat like mad. I have 2 doubled in size in a month. Never stop swimming. I can tell you from experience the Paroon x rRTC wont grow fast or that big 2 feet max. I have a 2 year old thats 14 inches. But these RTC x Black ears grow as fast as phantoms and I think they are going to be the real deal 3 foot plus fish.
 
  • Love
Reactions: thebiggerthebetter

Wabbabe

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Aug 7, 2024
17
18
3
38
They eat like mad. I have 2 doubled in size in a month. Never stop swimming. I can tell you from experience the Paroon x rRTC wont grow fast or that big 2 feet max. I have a 2 year old thats 14 inches. But these RTC x Black ears grow as fast as phantoms and I think they are going to be the real deal 3 foot plus fish.
Do the phantoms grow as fast as regular RTC? Or do some morphs not reach full size?
 
  • Like
Reactions: thebiggerthebetter

M3AN ONE

Dovii
MFK Member
Feb 29, 2012
478
251
102
Long Island
Paroon x RTC are short bodies they have humps on their back like my short body phantom Black ear x RTC are not and grow 3x faster same rate as a phantom. They are long and slender. I wouldnt trust the later with a datnoid that can fit into their mouth. Paroon RTC is more of a scavenger like a lince. Black ear x RTC behaves like paroon. I like both more then a lince TBH. Lince swim faster and make other fish uncomfortable. Also when doing a water change mine would slam into the glass and noc him self into a daze. Something about running water makes them go mad. They care more about swimming then thinking where they go. These guys only swim crazy fast when eating and medium fast other than that. They also swim high mid and low water where a lince tends to swim at the bottom. i wouldn't trust a lince in the tank with a big piece of drift wood these guys will be fine. Last but not least I think these guys look better being part RTC aside from the one pictured.
 
zoomed.com
hikariusa.com
aqaimports.com
Store